The Villain in the Quick Travel is My Wife

Chapter 90

Chapter 90.4.03

In the bathroom, Zhou Xiaobai splashed cold water on his face, the chill helping to clear his mind. As he washed, he caught sight of An Shuting through the mirror, who was busy wringing out the hem of his shirt.

"Why is my brother here at school?" Zhou Xiaobai asked, but An Shuting didn't answer. Instead, he recalled, "When you were little, you were so stubborn. I told you to sleep with Dad, but you insisted on standing at my door with your quilt. You'd stay there all night if I didn't let you in."

Zhou Xiaobai had some vague memories of that time. His parents had left him with his godparents while they worked late, but he preferred being with An Shuting. He wouldn't sleep with anyone else, and An Shuting, just a child himself, would wait until their godparents relented.

Zhou Xiaobai watched An Shuting, noting the wet clothes, feeling silent and small. He couldn't remember when he had become so vulnerable in front of others, and today was no different, as An Shuting had witnessed his embarrassment.

"Brother, I'll return your watch later," he said quietly.

An Shuting leaned against the sink, observing the serious boy in front of him. He reached out, ruffling Zhou Xiaobai's hair. "You're just a kid. I have to wait ten or eight years for you to grow up."

Zhou Xiaobai looked up. "Was what we did today too much? We're classmates, and it's school..."

An Shuting handed him some tissues, then noticed the bruises on Zhou Xiaobai's shoulder. He pushed aside the collar gently. "Does your neck hurt?"

Zhou Xiaobai quickly covered his shoulder. "It hurts."

An Shuting frowned, pulling back his hand. "You still haven't learned your lesson."

"I'll always be here with you, so why are you afraid? I've been admitted anyway, and this last bit of time is a good chance for you to enjoy campus life."

Most people might think An Shuting was overreacting. Zhou Xiaobai himself hadn't taken the humiliation seriously. But in that book, to impress Li Mudi, some boys had bullied him in this very bathroom, taking embarrassing photos.

After that incident, Zhou Xiaobai had grown even quieter. An Shuting believed that such attacks on dignity could be more damaging than physical violence.

Standing before him, Zhou Xiaobai still wondered if they had gone too far. This made An Shuting feel a bit relieved. He laughed and tossed Zhou Xiaobai his schoolbag. "I helped you today, so you can carry my bag."

Zhou Xiaobai stayed quiet, but inside, he felt a flicker of happiness knowing An Shuting would remain at this school for another year. He took the black schoolbag and followed An Shuting, just like when he was a child.

After giving the watch to the police and refusing a private settlement from An's father, An Shuting accompanied Zhou Xiaobai to the bike rack behind the school.

Zhou Xiaobai pushed his bicycle out from the back, and An Shuting almost laughed in frustration when he saw the flat tire. "Do you know what to do?"

Zhou Xiaobai looked at An Shuting, deep in thought. Just as An Shuting was about to lose his patience, Zhou Xiaobai quietly took out a pencil sharpener from his backpack, squatted down beside a silver-white bicycle, and methodically punctured the front tire.

An Shuting, sitting on the bicycle seat, raised an eyebrow as he watched Zhou Xiaobai switch to a black bike and continue this task with focused determination. Though he was clearly doing something wrong, Zhou Xiaobai's serious expression revealed that he wasn't as naïve as An Shuting had thought. With calm and steady hands, he might make a good doctor one day.